Fourth of July celebration returns to base

Chelesey Keener of Jacksonville and her mother Cynthia Goulet of Boston, Massachusetts, enjoy the sun and the music on their blanket with the American flag anchored on the corner, at Camp Lejeune’s WPT Field for the fireworks show that was set to take place later in the evening on Friday.

Photo by John Sudbrink / The Daily News

By Christopher Thomas - Christopher.Thomas@JDNews.com

Published: Friday, July 4, 2014 at 10:41 PM.

After a year’s hiatus, Camp Lejeune’s star-spangled Fourth of July celebration returned “with a vengeance,” according to Col. James W. Clark, deputy commander of Marine Corps Installations East.

“It feels great,” Clark said. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t have the celebration last year, it was important to (Brig. Gen. Robert) Castellvi that we have a huge celebration this year. So, we pulled out all the stops.”

Thousands of people descended on W.P.T. Hill Field to celebrate the United States’ 238th birthday with food and music, including the night’s headliner, platinum recording artist LL Cool J.

Nicole Mallia, theater manager at New River Air Station, said she’s been a fan of the rap artist for more than two decades.

Her son, Josh Mallia, a rising senior at Northside High School said he wasn’t as familiar with LL Cool J as his mother, but was looking forward to the show and spending time with family and friends at the celebration.

The Mallia’s spent the last Fourth of July at home, setting off their own fireworks, in lieu of their usual visit to the base. Josh Mallia said it was good to be back.

After a year’s hiatus, Camp Lejeune’s star-spangled Fourth of July celebration returned “with a vengeance,” according to Col. James W. Clark, deputy commander of Marine Corps Installations East.

“It feels great,” Clark said. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t have the celebration last year, it was important to (Brig. Gen. Robert) Castellvi that we have a huge celebration this year. So, we pulled out all the stops.”

Thousands of people descended on W.P.T. Hill Field to celebrate the United States’ 238th birthday with food and music, including the night’s headliner, platinum recording artist LL Cool J.

Nicole Mallia, theater manager at New River Air Station, said she’s been a fan of the rap artist for more than two decades.

Her son, Josh Mallia, a rising senior at Northside High School said he wasn’t as familiar with LL Cool J as his mother, but was looking forward to the show and spending time with family and friends at the celebration.

The Mallia’s spent the last Fourth of July at home, setting off their own fireworks, in lieu of their usual visit to the base. Josh Mallia said it was good to be back.

Last year’s annual Fourth of July celebration at the base was canceled due a federal sequestration which canceled celebrations throughout the nation, including the Marine Corps’ base in Quantico, Virginia. That’s where Maj. Jodie Moser was stationed last summer.

“It was a tough time,” Moser said.

Moser said though he and his family, some of whom came in from Sweetwater, Tennessee, were looking forward to all the music at the festival, including the 2nd Marine Division Rock Band, the highlight of his Fourth was spending it his loved ones.

“(I’m) just spending (the day) with family,” Moser said. “(We’re) just spending time together.”

One of the event’s main organizers was Deputy Operations Officer for MCCS Camp Lejeune and New River, Sgt. Maj. Yolanda Mayo who said plans for the concert started forming at the beginning of this year. She said planners wanted to make up for lost time with a large, concert themed celebration with a big name artist. Enter LL Cool J, who is, according to Mayo, a favorite of Castellvi.

Castellvi was not in attendance at the concert as he was in Baghdad.

“It’s awesome,” Mayo said. “It is huge. I just wish our commanding general were here to see this.”